Owners meeting at Parkliner today!

[RhondaI]

We attended a GREAT meeting at the new Parkliner factory in Burlington, NC today and came away feeling very good about the direction of the company under Godfrey's ownership and under the skillful management of Tom Bass. There were a number of owners there from the NC area and many brought their Parkliners. It looked like a mini Parkliner rally! Toured the factory, met a lot of great owners, Parkliner provided lunch and then we had a very effective owners forum so the new owner could obtain owner input. They even gave us a neat spare tire cover and were told these will be provided to every current owner as a thank you for their past business. Saw one currently in production and looked at the new equipment and facility. Sits in the country outside Burlington on a beautiful piece of property on a lake. We were told plans were to make a couple of campsites around the lake so new owners could overnight at the factory to make sure all the "bugs" are worked out before traveling home with their new baby! Looks like some camping rally's are being planned and the atmosphere felt very homey and welcoming. We have owned ours since 2013 and absolutely love it. If you are on the fence about buying one call and chat with Tom Bass. I know you will come away feeling very good about the company and the steps they are taking regarding service and quality. For all you current owners out there, I think this is a very good sign about the health of the company that built our trailers and I for one am very happy with the plans of the company. Hopefully some other owners that attended the meeting will chime in with their perspective and even post some pictures of the facility with the PLs lined up outside. Happy camping to all.

[honda03842]

Rhonda and Lin,

Thank you for your post. Always nice to get good news.

[Pat in Michigan]

That is such exciting news, I am so happy that the company is back and that Tom is involved.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

I spoke with Tom myself some weeks back and he showed me his top of the line Parkliner. If I didn't have 3-4 cats and a husband I think I would have gone for the Parkliner. They are very agreeable to customizing for each clients needs.

[Gourdamental]

Rhonda, very nice update about the health and welfare about Park Liner. I hope someone mentioned the too small refrigerator as it was a deal breaker for me on a purchase of a PL.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Gourdamental

Rhonda, very nice update about the health and welfare about Park Liner. I hope someone mentioned the too small refrigerator as it was a deal breaker for me on a purchase of a PL.

Yes, to the too small fridge. Oh, and ONLY once they get things well under way they need to build an 18-19 footer.. Glad to hear things are moving along and there is another source for new FGRVs (and in the South!).

[Jim Bennett]

This is great news, for current owners, future owners, and the moulded fibreglass industry in general. It sounds like they are making a huge move to make it a success.

[WaltP]

While I'm no longer a Parkliner owner, I'm delighted at the current prospects for continuing the brand. At the time there were several major deficiencies that I decided wouldn't work for me, and I found a great Bigfoot at a crazy low price, and sold the Parkliner. Since then at least two of the problems have been resolved( roof AC and batteries to the tongue) and it has become even closer to an ideal small FG trailer.
Overall I still credit Chandler for a great design.

Best wishes for the future.

Walt

[accrete]

That is such GREAT news!!

As former PL owners we are still sooooooPro Parkliner.

Wishing them all the best.
Thom & Cari
Parkliner #35 original owners
...which now resides somewhere in the SW...

[Bill Berry]

I want to second Rhonda's comments at the top of this discussion. The reason for this meeting was that Godfrey, the new ParkLiner owner, wanted to gather some feedback on owner experiences with the product. Tom Bass, who is running the shop on a day-to-day basis, invited those of us who live within easy driving distance to attend. The meeting started on time (!) with about 10% of all ParkLiner owners in attendance.

We toured the new factory which is clean, orderly and nicely laid out. Those of you who have been to the original Gibsonville factory will not recognize this place. Also, if you thought Gibsonville was out-of-the-way and remote, Clapp Mill Road is strictly rural. Don't leave home without your GPS.

The meeting was a free-flowing but skillfully guided discussion that included what we particularly liked about our units, what we would like to see improved, various issues and problems we have had, and suggestions for improvement. Godfrey took copious notes and simply allowed our conversation to take place. Tom recorded our comments on a flip chart.

As the meeting wound to a close, we heard about plans for ParkLiner's future. In the short-run there is a strong emphasis on customer services and meeting promised delivery dates. Some of us shared our customer service war-stories and there was lots of mention of posts on this FiberglassRV forum. I heard a strong commitment from Tom and Godfrey that the days of unanswered e-mails and phone calls are over. Another new strong emphasis in the manufacturing process is introduction of a formal quality control process. All good news for we who love our ParkLiners.

One of the best parts of this meeting was the opportunity to visit with other owners and see what they had done with their units. I came away with several project ideas and a real family feeling among the group--including, of course, Tom and Godfrey.

To summarize, (and to fearlessly speak for the other owners) we felt that Chandler's brilliant design is in very good hands. Tom Bass is a seasoned and capable general manager and Godfrey struck us as an involved owner who has the will and means to make the investments necessary to take ParkLiner to the next level. At the end of the day we were "happy campers."

I've tried to add a picture of the participants of the meeting inside the new factory. Hope it works!

[frank_a]

Rhonda and Bill, thank you very much for the updates! This is great news.

When we returned from Aruba this past weekend, we found a letter from Tom. I replied via email, and look forward to hearing from him. We have a minor issue that I would very much like company input on.

We're charging batteries today, and expect to haul the egg to my friend's shop for wheel balancing and brake adjustment Wednesday after work. We're anxious to get on the road!

Frank

[deryk]

This is great news for ParkLiner! I am glad to hear that they are not going to be going away. Chandler has a great design for a small fiberglass trailer. I wish them all the best!

[Carol H]

Awesome news!!!!

Look forward to hearing about the adventures of a bunch of new HAPPY Parkliner owners!

[Darral T.]

This is a great "success" story! Sounds like "Tom" is the key for Parkliner's success both now and the future. I know you Parkliner owners are glad to hear this. I DO hope they make "Customer Service" a #1 priority!!

I live about 30 miles from Oliver (Hohenwald, TN). I remember when they too closed down apx 2009 because of the economy down-turn in 2008. But they're now open and running strong and are on the HIGHER end of FG's and selling. So that tells you something about the industry.